I'll be better than I am...

First, shout out to Kevin for today’s musical title reference ;-)

There have only been a few moments in my life where I felt something irrevocably switch inside me. Deciding to abandon what everyone expected to be an illustrious career in engineering and pursue medicine was one of them, and I’ve already spoken briefly about that. That came from a teenager’s inability to accept that she couldn’t fix something. That sheer strength of will and love couldn’t, in fact, conquer everything. Unfortunately, I’m not a teenager any more, and I’ve learned that no matter how much you know, that feeling of helplessness never completely goes away. Today, I fell in with a group of people that refuse to give into that helplessness, in spite of unbelievable odds.

Beldina became known to me solely as the woman from MCI that would help me survive in Kisumu. As I got to know her and to learn a little bit more about her role, I started to realize that she was much more than that. Today, I learned even more about her and her family, and it only increased my admiration. She was raised in the Luo village of Amilo by a generous and strong-willed mother. Her mother, Alice, was a cornerstone of that community. Her homestead was open to all in need, either of sustenance, of friendship. She raised Beldina and her half-siblings (some of whom I met today) to lead lives of meaning and purpose and to recognize the importance of community service and leadership. Upon Alice’s death, she was mourned by the entire Luo village, and in tribute to her mother, Beldina’s family created the Alice Visionary Foundation Project (http://www.alicevisionary.org/).

Sandy and Nancy are two American women who met Beldina when she was in the US for school, and through their church, became an integral part of AVFP. They and their church have developed a relationship with Amilo, providing sustainable programs of giving to enhance the lives of the children of the village. After a chance meeting with them last weekend, I asked if I could join them out in the village. Happily, they agreed, and I am left to ponder the mysterious workings of fate.

Today, the AVFP team picked me up, and we headed out. The group included Sandy, Nancy, Autumn and Devin (two teenagers from their church who traveled here on mission with them), Dorcas and Musa (half-siblings of Beldina), Jim (Beldina’s half-brother, who is the face of AVFP in the village), and Shadrach (our van driver/volunteer).

First stop was the Masogo Sub-district hospital, in order to check on a plumbing repair that AVFP had requested, namely to ensure that the small hospital had running water. When we visited there was a woman in active labor and another ill woman on the ward. I didn’t get the full effect as the clinic wasn’t scheduled to open for a few hours, so the lines had not started. They track public health milestones in open-air on chalkboards, and they are miraculously undisturbed.

The Men's Ward

Next we headed to Beldina’s family homestead. While it is constructed in traditional Luo patterns, several non-traditional things have happened. Primarily, it is unusual for a woman to remain in the village of her youth. Secondly, they have a keeper at the homestead now, living in the home of the eldest son. The homestead, however, is now a headquarters for the local projects of AVFP. Among their projects are a chicken breeding program, a soil erosion prevention program, and their work with children in the village who have been orphaned by the AIDS epidemic.

The children live with extended family in the village but receive assistance from the program with their needs for school. The projects that Sandy and Nancy were supervising on this visit were to plant shade tree seedlings at the homesteads of the caretakers of these children and build dish racks to provide a sanitary means for drying cookware (a.k.a. not on the ground or perched over shrubs or sitting on a sheet of iron).

We spent the day working and playing with the people of the village. The children all clamber to be at Beldina’s homestead when they know the Mazungus are coming. These youngsters aren’t a formal part of any project, but the meals and snacks that they are served while the group is in town (this is the end of their 2nd week) allow their families to save a little food, and from what I witnessed today, every little bit counts.

At the first homestead, I was on the tree committee. Actually, as I was informed, the water subcommittee of the tree committee. Devin and I headed off with our hosts to the village water supply to fill buckets, which I’m proud to say I was able to carry back on my head, Kenyan-style. Though, certainly with none of the finesse or grace of our hosts. Then, they allowed me the honor of planting the first tree of the day. (I think they just wanted to see if I would get my hands dirty).

Getting water at the watering hole

Doing laundry there, too

I did try one-handed, but it was not fun.

Autumn, Nancy, Devin, Bethel, Sandy, Bethel's aunt(?), and me. Not one word about the bandana, it was hot!

After those tasks were completed, we returned to home base as it was tea time. The tea they drink here is what would be a chai latte back home. Very tasty.

Then came the second homestead. I should have guessed when the kids were pointing out to me exactly what committee I was on, that it would confuse them to switch. But, since I wanted to do a little bit of everything, I went to help with the dish rack process. Something my engineering mind could wrap itself around… As we were setting up, the children were calling to me and one young boy came and took me by the hand. “But, daktari Stephanie, you are on the tree committee!” Nancy had to intervene (as head of the tree committee and say that she was letting me go to the dish rack committee) and it was all very comical. At any rate, I ended up digging holes and measuring things and nailing chicken wire. It was all great fun.

Building the dishrack was very exacting, there was much measuring and arguing in Luo and Swahili :)

Then the best part of the day, we just hung out and got to know the kids. There is a young man who is interested in a medical career. He was very astute and asked some really difficult questions about the emotional challenges involved in being a doctor. He was concerned about his grades and was worried that he wouldn’t be allowed to work in the health field if he couldn’t go to medical school. We had a long talk about all the different careers possible. If he doesn’t get his grades up, I wouldn’t be surprised to find him becoming a scrub tech.

We played volleyball, they played football (soccer gets a little rough with them… I gladly watched from the sidelines). The younger kids had a blast with the parachute that Sandy and Nancy brought. We all got a little silly, trying to make the kids laugh. To that end, I learned that I can still do a headstand... Then it was time for dinner.

My little barnacle stayed on my back most of the afternoon, but she wouldn't tell me her name.

The entire time we were out working, Dorcas and the women of the homestead were preparing a feast for us. Chapati, rice, beans, beef curry, chicken stew, spaghetti. It was a smorgasbord and all so incredibly delicious. Again the young children of the village were served after the adults and the orphans, which made me wince until I was reminded that even this meal of rice and beans is far more than they would receive at home.

Truly, truly, a magnificent day. I’m off to bed now, as I’m going back out with them tomorrow.